The Dagger's curse
by Exceptance is the key
Summary: Lina Inverse and co. are staying at an Inn... All Lina wanted to do was stomp bandits so why is all this stuff happening to her? And why does it involve... Please R&R! Please! *Up to chapter 6 R&R!
1. Default Chapter

*I don't own the Slayers sadly they aren't mine.  I do own the unnamed waitress and the Red Rose Inn.

Please if you like this story review!  Please I **need** reviews! –Spell Weaver

Dagger's Curse

As usual we find our heroes at a peaceful Inn, (this time called the Red Rose Inn) in the country of Espouse bickering amongst each other and thus braking the peace for anyone else.  The topic of debate was this time a more interesting and sensitive topic then any yet. 

"Oh come on Amelia I just want to beat up one set of bandits!" Cried the red haired Lina Inverse.

"It would not be just of me to let you go out and fight in your condition!"  Amelia lectured. lecture 

"But I'm fine!" Screeched Lina.

"As your friend and an ally of justice I can not let you go!"   Amelia had a self righteous look in her eyes and struck a dramatic pose with one finger pointing out at some far off object of justice (or something at least).  Needless to say it did not look good for our heroine.

Knowing that talking to her friend was a lost cause she turned to look beseechingly at Gourry and Zelgadis and said "Oh Come on guys help me out here."

"No Lina, I agree with Amelia on this one, with out your magic to protect you its just to dangerous for you to take on a bandit gang by your self."  Said Zelgadis.

"I knew you would agree with me Mr. Zelgadis.  See Lina I told you so!"  Said Amelia as she flashed a victory sign.

"You agree with me though right Gourry?"  She asked the dumb blond swordsman.

"Sure."  When the others gave him a weird look as Lina stuck out her tongue at them.  "I mean why can't Lina go stomp bandits?  She always stomps bandits!  Besides she's got her magic to fry them."

All concerned face faulted, after they had picked them selves up Zelgadis looked at Gourry and sighed. "Don't you ever pay attention?  Lina can't use her magic right now that's why."  Once he had calmed down went back to sipping his coffee.

"Oh, that time of the month again eh Lina?"  Said the suddenly enlightened Gourry.

"Err… yes Gourry."  For a second the sorceress paused and turned very red, but the blush passed and she went on.  "But now it's time for me to get going and liberate some treasure, so see you in about an hour."  Waved the sorceress as she got up out of the chair and started towards the door of the Inn.

"Wait a minuet!"  Gourry's hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down into her chair.  "On second thought you should stay here at the Inn for a couple of days."  

"You had a first thought?"  Asked Lina as she arched her eyebrows skeptically.

"That's not nice miss Lina."  chastised Amelia then sighed. "Any way It's late why don't we all just go to sleep?"

"An excellent idea Amelia, just let me finish my coffee."  Zelgadis said to break up a fight that was likely to accrue, but was surprised when Lina yawned and he finished up the dark brew and looked around for the hassled young waitress.  "Check please!"

As Lina faked a yawn she thought _"All I have to do is, act like I'm sleeping until every one else is asleep and then I'll go out and come back and no one will be the wiser."  _She laughed mentally.

The Waitress seeing that the group would finally be heading up to their rooms smiled for the first time since the small group had placed their large orders all except for that one man.  He was strange all he ordered was coffee and he had refill after refill of it.  Oh well, at least they could pay their massive bill that was a good sign and who new maybe they would be good tippers.  She brought the group their check.  "Here you are."  

Lina took the check and paid it, when the waitress bent down to take the money she whispered to her.  "Do you know of any bandit gangs around here?  If you do meet me in ten minuets by the stair case alone, I'll pay for the information  extra if you're a good actress and don't show any reaction to my question!"

The waitress took the money and stood up she looked at the red head and smiled saying.  "Yes ma'am I'll be sure to tell the cook you liked the house soup it is one of his specialties."  Then she hurried off to the kitchen with stacks of dirty plats and coffee mugs.

"There's something Familiar about that waitress."  Remarked Gourry and indeed there was while her uniform was the red and green color of all the others at the Red Rose Inn and restaurant she had not a red but a light purple cord for trim and she kept her hair up not with a red rose like the other waitress, but with a clip that resembled an open fire but had a small blue jewel patterned at the bottom of it.  All of the others had the manner of a waitress, but this one did not have that manner.  It was all strange.

"What do you mean by that Gourry?" asked Lina slightly bemused and worried by his comment.  Had he heard what she had said to the waitress?

"Well its just that she didn't act like we ordered that much, in fact she had almost no facial expression at all and it's the way she carried herself."  He answered.  But didn't tell her the rest of his reasoning.  It was all very strange and much easier not to think about it.

Lina gave a mental sigh of relief, no Gourry definitely had not caught any part of her brief conversation with the waitress.  That was good no one could stop her from having her fun now.  Bandits here I come she laughed to her self.

"Well she's probably just used to serving large crowds, that's all."  Zelgadis rationalized, although he privately  agreed with Gourry's that there was something strange about that waitress besides the fact that she was young but he just couldn't place it, so didn't want to tell the others.


	2. ten minuets later

I don't own The Slayers.  I do own the waitress, her brother and the two clans… I've said to much.  Please, please review.

This night is definitely not going as planed 

Ten minuets latter by the stair case after every one else had gone to bed Lina waited for the waitress to appear.

The waitress who was now wearing a strange outfit that consisted of long light blue boots, lose light blue pants, a white shirt and a strange long light blue jacket/sweater that reached to just above her knees and was open from under the ribs and had a slight flare at the bottom her whole outfit had light purple trim around it.  Walked up to the girl who was just two or three years older then her self.  "How's my acting?" She smiled.  

"Not half bad.  By the way interesting outfit, a lot of blue though." Commented Lina as she looked the waitress over.  "Now to business what information do you have for me?"

"Really too blue much do you so think?  Oh well I like blue."  She shrugged then continued.  "There's a bandit gang a few miles from here but I don't know where exactly, but I could probably show you."

"Why would you do that?"  Lina asked suspiciously.

"For two reasons, one it's late and I have to go home, the people whom I live with will be worried and two if the inn keeper sees you  giving me money he'll just take it from me tomorrow."

"I guess that makes sense."  Lina scrutinized the waitress' face.

"By the way I'm Varrie, who are you?"  Asked the waitress.

"Me, I'm Lina, Lina Inverse, nice to met you Varrie."  The petite young sorceress introduced her self.

The two young women walk out of the inn together talking.  "The bandits have been terrorizing people for months now they have some mage working for them, to enchant their weapons and such."  The waitress paused but Lina didn't talk so she went on.  "They use spears and a long bow for weapons, they're cowards to use weapons like that.  They're weapons have been enchanted to always strike their targets.  They also have a weapon called 'The Cursed Dagger'".

Lina absorbed all of the waitresses information before asking, "The Cursed Dagger?  Tell me about that." Just as they stepped into a clearing in the forest.

"Well they use it to force the sorcery guild to leave them alone, but I don't think they truly know how to use it. Now what about my money?"  As she asked this a shadow passed over them.

"Did some one say money?"  Asked a man hidden in shadow.  Suddenly he stepped out of the shadows, this man was a thin whip like man who was well not a handsome man not ugly either.  He was dressed in a black shirt and black pants (probably to help him slip into the shadows.) and down his cheek he had a long, thin scar.

"A bandit I presume."  Lina stated calmly, well Varrie stared sorrowfully up at the man.

"No, not any bandit.  I am one of the leaders from the shadow clan."  He looked at the two women.

"The Shadow Clan?  Of which order?"  Lina was shocked that such a group as the clan was here they were as famous and infamous as she but they allowed only the best mercenaries, kidnappers, and assassins in their ranks  it was said that they could slip into a town that was on the look out for them hit their target and vanish into the very shadows after wards.  It was also said that their higher order made dealings with monsters.

"Umbra!"  The waitress spate.

"Umbra!"  Yelped Lina.  In the shadow clan Umbra was near their inner core it held some of  their most deadly members.  _"This evening,"_ Lina thought.  _"Is definitely not going as planed."_

"Now, now Varrie is that any way to greet me?"  Laughed the Man.

"Brother how can you act this way?"  She asked in a choked voice that only Lina and Darick could have heard and that was only because they were close enough to her.

"Brother?"  Lina turned to look at the waitress questioningly.

But She ignored Lina's question and stared at her brother.  "Darick how could you join our most bitter enemy?  How could you leave the Flame clan!?" Asked Varrie so angry and yet even as she yelled her face was more sad then angry. 

"Flame?!"  Asked Lina.  The Flame was the light, the supposed good while the Shadow was the dark and evil,  they had been fighting since just after the Kouma war and both groups were highly trained and well versed in all forms of fighting.  It appeared that she was surrounded by the two most fearsome clans of sorcerers and mercenaries ever this was not good.  A clash of clans involving a sister on one side and a brother on another side.  No this evening was definitely not going as planed.  

Varrie turned to Lina and said.  "I'm sorry to get you involved in this Lina."

Darick turned to face Lina when he heard her name.  "Lina as in the Lina Inverse?"

"That's right pal,  But because I have no intention of getting in the middle of your little family squabble I'll let you go."  She replied.

"I don't think so!  Hmm it seems my prey came to me this time.  Ha, ha, ha."  Darick laughed.

"Darick what do you mean by that?"  Asked Varrie as she looked around at some of the bushes and trees around the clearing.

"I was sent to capture the infamous Lina Inverse that's where I was headed when I ran into you, sister."  He stated as he stepped closer to them.

"Oh well that's just great not another kidnap or assassination attempt!" Groaned Lina,  on further reflection the whole night was going to be like hell.  All she had wanted was to fight some bandits, not take on some of the Shadow clan.  But at least she had a member of the Flame clan to help her.  As young as Varrie was she was still a Flame member which was still something.

"Tell your friends to come out and face us in a fair fight, Darick."  She stood up straight and took a fighting stance.

"Alright, Penumbra come out and attack!" Darick yelled, as he did four men came out from around the tree line and proceeded to attack the two younger women.  He hadn't wanted to do that, not to his beloved little sister.  But he didn't want the others to know she was his sister.  That was why he had them stay back so they wouldn't hear them talking. "Varrie, you should know there's no such thing as a fair fight."  He said quietly so that only she and Lina could here.

"Darick come down and fight me, like the man you once were!" Said Varrie angrily, as she reached into her jacket and drew her twin short swords.  


	3. a brutal attack

I don't own The Slayers.  I do own Varrie, Darick, the Shadow and Flame clans and the obsessive crazy guy.  Please, please review!

A Brutal Attack!

The Penumbra charged at both Lina and Varrie,  the attack was brutal.  They separated the two of them first.  And then two of them came at Varrie with long swords and tried to cut her but she dodged most of the swings but had no time to get any of her own hits on the two.  By this time Lina had drawn her short sword.  Two people came up to her one had a large wooden staff the other had a spear.  At first the two men sent after Lina stayed back waiting for her to use so sort of spell but when none came the to attacked her.  

The two women danced, rolled and ducked under and around the slashes of Penumbra weapons.  Lina managed to get close enough to slide low and slash at the upper thigh of one of her assailants.  He hissed and grabbed the deep slash, but a second latter got back to her and fought.  

Varrie was holding her own among the two men she was fighting.  But they finally got smart and one of them was at her front while the other went around to her back.  Then the one behind her poked his blade into her back and said.  "Drop your swords, or I'll put this through your back."

When she felt the sharp metal tip poke into her back, she stood straight up and listened to the words.  After the man spoke she throw her swords behind her, then did a backwards flip and landed right behind the him.  She knelt down and picked up her swords, and stood up right behind the man with one of her swords in his back.  She felt a sharp pain in her back as she brought up the hilt of her other sword and cracked it done on his head.  

Lina was not having much fun and was wishing for her magic, but she was doing well against her assailants and soon had almost crippled one.  Varrie was now by her side and the attackers were down to only two.  The two women fought hard and the fight lasted in total of 15 minuets before all four of the attackers were down on the forest floor bleeding, out cold or both.

After a few seconds they looked at each other's ripped shirts, jackets and leggings then they looked around them and laughed.  They laughed at each others now worn and dirty clothing, and the fact that they had beaten four people from the Shadow clan by themselves, but mostly they laughed the laugh of the exhausted when every thing seems funny.  When they stopped laughing Lina walked up and slapped Varrie on the back.  Varrie winced and arched her back.  Lina took her hand away when she felt something warm and squishy on the other girl's back.  She looked at her hand, "Varrie, what happened your bleeding!."  It was more of a statement then a question.

"One of them must have scratched me that's all."  She shrugged it off and winced again.  Lina put her finger on her new friend's wound and healed it in a couple of seconds. "Thank you."  She said to Lina, then turned to where her brother had been and said out loud.  "What are you going to do now Darick?"

A hand grabbed Lina from behind and covered her mouth and with that done he plunged the dagger into Lina's upper thigh.  He smiled when she gave a muffled cry of pain and fainted onto him.  He put her gently on the ground making no sound.  

Then he turned to the other one the girl who had been right in front of him then hit him from behind.  He scowled, she had made a fool out of him, him one of the top Penumbra assassins.  He looked at the back of her head and saw the clip, oh well at least she was a low level Blue of the Flame clan and not and Red.  To save his reputation he would have to kill her.  Though, that was really too bad because although she was a Flame she was quite pretty and would have been a good prize.  He shrugged oh well that's the way it is.   But as he walked closer to her he recognized her. 

He remembered now.  _He, Darick and that strange man had been scooping out the Inn restaurant combination.  They had been hiding, lying face down in the rafters shadow's because no one ever looked up and the rafters in and Inn or restaurant.  Well no one usually did but she had looked up right at them for at least one long minuet.  But saw nothing as The strange man had cast a quick spell to protect them from prying eyes.  For that whole minuet he had looked right at her face, and her uniform taking her in and memorizing every detail.  He had know then that he had to met her.   He felt Darick looking at him and he turned to him, Darick gave him a disgusted look and turned his back on him.  He kept on eye on the waitress and one eye on the target which wasn't hard because she was the one waiting on them.  _

_Darick looked at him and saw his attention was split and where it was split.  "Keep your mind on the task at hand!"  Darick had barked at him,  "Isn't she a little young for you?" _

_And he had replied.  "Enough of my mind is on this task, it's boring all they do is eat!"  he rolled his eye's and said.  "And as for the girl I think she's old enough for me."_

_"You moron that girl is obviously only fifteen years old." Darick hissed at him._

_"That's plenty old enough for me."  He said not looking up.  "Besides how old is Lina Inverse? 16? 17?"_

_"You Pervert!!! She's just a little kid!!!"  He hissed._

_"My, my I'm afraid Darick is right!  That is quit perverted and kinky too!"  The strange man said.  "And Lina Inverse is eighteen years of age."  He paused, "True thought is to young for me,"  With that he stuck out his tongue. "But at least mine is legal."  _

_Darick groaned and hit both of the men.  "**Both** of you are perverted!!!  You,"  He turned to the strange man.  "We do not need to know what goes on in that filthy, perverted not to mention kinky mind!  And you," He rounded on him.  "Don't go chasing jailbait, especially not her."  He pointed at the waitress.  "I know you see the way she moves, and know by now every detail of her body."  He said sourly, "she isn't a normal waitress, and that means she's probably a Flame.  Which means you can't handle her!  Do you hear me?"  He hit him again to get his attention which was back on the waitress who must have felt him looking at her because she was looking up again.  "She is Flame and she is off limits!!"_

_'She will be mine!,' He had vowed. 'And I will be able to handle her!'_

He would prove Darick wrong!  He could and would handle her.  He thought to him self as he snuck up on her.   He got closer to her he would show Darick and teach her a lesson at the same time.  He was right beside her now as he leaned in and whispered into her ear.

 The voice was right behind her as it (was the one belonging to the man she had knocked out) whispered into her ear as he poked the tip of his sword into her back.  "You should never forget an enemy just because he's down.  Now drop your swords," he paused and remembered what happened last time he had said that.  "In front of you."  

She barely had time to throw her weapons in front of her, before he grabbed her shoulder to keep her in front of him.  Varrie was not happy about that little fact, she didn't like his slimy hands on her.  So she did the most natural thing in the world for any woman to do in that situation.  She turned and fast.  But her attacker had been expecting a slap, and raised his arm to block the attack.   But was sorely mistaken because instead of raising her hand to slap, she put it back and pulled out the fire like clip in that had held her long brown hair up.

His vision was blocked by the sudden waves of long slightly wavy brown hair and didn't see the glint of her tiny dagger that it was until it had slashed a long gash in the arm that held her shoulder.  He howled in pain as the wound burned but did not let her go, instead her spun her around and put his arm diagonally across her chest so her arms couldn't move. 

 "Now for that," he whispered in Varrie's ear.  "You will be sorry!  Yes you will be very sorry!"  He whispered the promised into her ear.  Oh how she hated his breath on her face and in her ear.  She struggled against his grip.  She wanted to die but he didn't want to kill her, no that would be to easy.  Before he had just wanted to show Darick that he could handle her, but now he wanted every one to see that he would not tolerant of such things.  But how he wondered?

He thought for a second as Varrie struggled and tried harder to stick her little dagger into his leg.  Yes he thought that was it.  He would break this she-devil from the Flame clan.  And he would do it in front of his whole clan,  proving once and for all that he was ready to ascend to Umbra.  With that he grabbed the dagger and plunged it into her side.

She saw the glint of the small dagger and struggled harder yet but it was no use he was stronger then she and had her arms pinned down so she couldn't scratch him again.  She screamed as the burning dagger pierced her skin then the pain spread across her body.  She wondered if this was the cursed dagger for a few seconds before her world went black and she fell back into the man that held her.

When he heard the scream Darick had been talking to a figure cloaked by the darkness.  Upon hearing it he was right beside the them as his sister fell against the man that held the dagger in his hand covered in blood.  He cursed himself for not paying more attention to the battle.  He looked from the bloodied man to the blood soaking through his sister's dull white shirt and onto her dark jacket.  In seconds he had taken in the seen, and gathered from the small dagger in his sister's hand and the slash on the man's arm what had happened in just a few seconds before. 

Again he cursed himself and the man, he cursed the man silently he would have to understand this whole mess before he could legally kill the man in front of the clan.  Though he didn't show it Darick was angry on the verge of being irate when the man appeared next to him and placed a hand on his arm.  "I will transport all of you back to Shadow headquarters."  Said the man out loud.  "You can settle things in the dojo latter."  He said just loud enough for Darick to hear. 

Darick thought for a few seconds before he said.  "Yes, that would be preferable."  He nodded and suddenly the surroundings changed and Darick found himself along with all his men and the two women back at the base.


	4. in the morning

I don't own The Slayers.  I do own Varrie, Darick, and Master Garneon.  Please review!

The Next Morning

The next morning, at the Red Rose Inn around 7:30 am we see the slayers group sans Lina at a table already piled with food (and coffee mugs).  Gourry and Amelia where happily stuffing their faces full of the R/R Inns delicious breakfast, well Zelgadis had all ready downed his fifth cup of coffee.  It was only when Amelia looked up to pick up another plate of breakfast that her eyes fell on the still empty chair.  "Hmm I wonder where Miss Lina is?"  She wondered out loud.

It was then that Zelgadis noticed the rare quite around the table.  With no Lina there was no food fights, course this didn't prevent Gourry from picking off of Amelia's plate when she wasn't looking.  The peace and quite in the morning was nice but still…  "I haven't seen her which is odd because she's usually the first one here stuffing her face.  You'd better go see if she's up yet Amelia."

"I guess so," she got up from the table and walked to the stairs.  As she went up the stairs to the rooms she wondered why Lina was sleeping so late.  "She's probably just starting to relax a little, that's all."  She smiled to herself as she opened the door to Lina's room.  "Miss Lina?  Are you up yet?  Your breakfast is getting cold."  When no answer came she stepped inside the room.  The room was empty except for Lina's cape.  

In a panic she ran down stairs and made straight for her friends.  "Miss Lina's gone!" She blurted out.

The Innkeeper who had been talking to a man dressed entirely in dark blue and red.  But upon hearing the out burst both men had walked quickly over to the strange groups table.  "What's wrong Miss?"  Asked the Innkeeper.

"A friend of ours is missing!"  Cried Amelia as Gourry attempted to cheer her up by telling her that Lina was probably fine.

"Lina, is she the one with red hair that eats twice her weight in food?"  Asked the Innkeeper.

"Why yes that's her exactly."  Said Amelia.

The Innkeeper turned to the man in blue and red and said.  "She was talking to Varrie last night, and they left the Inn together."

"Thank you Innkeeper."  The man said before he turned to the little group around the table.  "I need to talk to you, in a quite place.  Do you still have rooms here?"  He asked.

"Yes we do."  Answered Zelgadis.

"Good let's talk in one of them."  He said.

"Alright we'll talk in my room." He turned towards Gourry and Amelia and said.  "lets go!"  Together with Zelgadis leading the way the group walked up the stairs to one room.  When they were all in the room with the door closed Zelgadis looked at the man.  He was maybe thirty years old and had a very serious expression on his face.  He was wearing blue boots with red, loose blue pants with a red belt and a white shirt. The strange things was that the red was a deep crimson in color and the blue was also dark.

The man looked straight into each of their faces in turn and studied them for a time and finally said.  "Hello Zelgadis Greywords, Gourry Gabriev.  I am sorry but I do not know you Miss."

"Umm… I'm Amelia Wil Telsa Seyruun."  Amelia answered the man and then asked him, "But who are you?"

Gourry looked at the up at the man and said, "Hello Master Garneon, long time no see."  He greeted the man like and old friend.  "How did you know Zel any way?"

Master Garneon shock his head and chuckled, still the same old Gourry,  "Well Gourry he is a Red Flame."

Gourry looked at Zelgadis, like he had grown anther head.  "Really?  Hey Zel why didn't you tell me?"

Zelgadis looked at Garneon then at Gourry then at Garneon.  "…"  Was all he could think of to say.

Garneon laughed and said, "I make it my business to know all of the Flame clan.  In fact I trained Gourry myself, he's now a blue."

"Gourry's a Blue Flame?"  He looked at Gourry and asked, "When did you start training?"

"Well Lets see…" He stopped to think about it for a second which quickly turned into a minuet 

"Well if I remember, Gourry was around eight years old when he started training with me."  Once that was said the blond swords man stopped trying to think and paid attention to his old teacher.  "But enough small talk.  What can you remember about your waitress yesterday?"

"I remember that her uniform had light purple trim, and her hair was caught up in a clasp that looked like and open fire but had a small blue jewel on the bottom of it."  He thought a little harder and continued.  "And her manner was wrong for a waitress.  But above all she looked very familiar was she a Blue Flame?  A new Blue perhaps?"

"Yes, she was a new Blue and was very proud of herself.  Something has happened to her, the innkeeper saw her talking to your friend and then they left together."  He stopped when he saw the accusing looks from Amelia.  "No princess, your wrong!  She would never hurt any one in less they attacked her first."

"Who is she besides a Blue Flame?  And why is she so important to you?"  Asked Amelia.

"Amelia it doesn't matter who she is in our clan we help each other, we can't turn our backs on one of our own."  Gourry told her.  

"But I would still like to know who it is."  Zelgadis said gently.

"Her name is Varrielle, I was training her."  Garneon told them, he was about to say more when Gourry interrupted him.

"Varrielle, as in Varrie?  Little Varrie?  She made it up to blue!  And what about Darick?  Is he a Blue too?"  Gourry asked excitedly.  Then doing a 180. as only he as only he truly could he turned deadly serious.  "Why do you think something happened to her?"

Garneon looked very proud of his old pupil, it appeared that Gourry had not lost his edge.  But as he spoke his face changed too, "As you both know, it's the policy of Flame trainees to report in twice daily."  He paused, "Once in the morning and once at night.  They weren't hard for Varrie to do because she lived in the Espouse, (that's the country that their in.) clan home.  As you now know Varrie worked as a waitress here.  When she failed to come home last night we were all a little worried, but…"  His voice trailed off and he sighed before he continued.  "She's fifteen years old now, and as a Blue she could take care of herself.  But when she didn't show up and check in this morning, well we came here."

Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis nodded their heads silently because all of this made perfect sense.  Even Zelgadis felt sympathy for the older man.  But the silence stretched on, for a few more minuets to become uncomfortable.  Eventually it was Amelia who broke the silence by saying, "Who's Darick, and would he know where Varrielle is?"

"Darick is Varrie's brother, Amelia." Gourry answered her question.  "That reminds me How is Darick handling this?"  He paused waiting for a response, when none came he went on.  "What, you mean he doesn't know?  No one told him?"  He demanded.

"We have no idea if he knows or not.  And if he knows then he's probably responsible for this."  Snorted the old trainer.  "It was about a year and a half ago, before Varrie became a Blue that it all happened.  Darick, became a rogue Blue, a renegade if you will a few weeks latter He betrayed Flame to join the Shadow clan."

"He couldn't have!  He was a Blue Flame and he knew his sister would be…" He trailed off knowing what it sounded like.  "No he loved his sister, to much to hurt her.  And he would never want to betray Flame, his mother was a Flame and not to mention his father."

"Then what happened to Lina and Varrielle?"  Asked Amelia before there was any chance for an uncomfortable silence to form.

"Varrie, she liked to be called Varrie and we don't know we just know that where ever they are their together and probably in trouble!"  Garneon stated, "Varrie had a way of attracting trouble, she and Lina Inverse would have been good friends in other circumstances."  

He chuckled to himself for a second then seemed to brace himself before saying.  "There is one clue, this morning when we did an area sweep for Varrie we found an area where a fight had taken place.  Flame has keep every one else out and I went to talk to the Innkeeper.  I would like all of you to come down and check out the area with me!"


	5. At Shadow HQ

I don't own The Slayers.  I do own Varrie, Darick, Jarnios (Formerly the obsessive crazy guy) and the Clans.  Please review! 

Earlier that day at the Shadow clans headquarters (around midnight to one thirty).

They had all been teleported back to the clan headquarters by the cloaked man.  By this time all of the down men where down at the infirmary of the clan headquarters.  The man in gray, the man in black and Darick where in all in the same room with the two young women.  

The room was large and held two beds at one end and a table and some chairs at the other end.  The room was painted a dark green and held only a few people since the healers had all left.  The two women were of course Lina Inverse and Varrielle of the Flame clan both of whom were still unconscious.  The other people in the room were Darick, the man in black and the man in gray.  The room would have been cheerful except for the fact that there were two injured women, one in each bed in it's confines.  

The men sat at the other end of the room, so that they could watch over the two women and not wake them (a very large room).  The all sat at the table, on that table the were the all of the weapons that belonged to the people of the room.  There was a whip belonging to Darick, a curious looking staff belonging to the man in black.  Lina's short sword and her demon's blood talismans, Varrie's twin short swords and her slim tiny dagger/hair clip as well as her throwing stars (resourceful wasn't she?), as well as the man in gray's long sword and the dagger he had used (resourceful he wasn't!).

Darick picked up the dagger and handed it to the man dressed in black.  "What do you make this is Xellos?"

"Hmm"  He took the dagger and started looked at it.  "It is the Cursed Dagger."  He handed the Dagger back into the waiting Darick's palm.  Then turned to the Man wearing gray.  "Where did you get this?"

The man pointedly ignored Xellos, as he held out his hand for the dagger to be returned back to him.  He had a smug look on his face, the look he had worn ever since he had taken down both Lina Inverse, and the Flame girl.

 The move Darick made was as quick as lighting.  He reached out and cuffed the arrogant face of the man leaving him with only the pain and a bloody nose as any sign that he, Darick had done anything at all.  "Respect your betters, Jarnios!"  He growled at him.  "Now tell us where you got that dagger!"

Jarnios, wiped the blood off his stunned face, Darick had hit him.  Darick had hit him, after he did such a good job taking down Lina Inverse, and that girl form Flame.  He should be promoted and given the girl as a gift.  He sat there in a dumb silence not exactly knowing or understanding what had just happened.  Finally he gave a dumb reply, "A group of local bandits had it.  I heard of this and wanted it so I killed them all and took it."

 "What did you use to injure these women?"  Asked Darick, while silently praying that it had been the sword and not the dagger that had caused the injury's to the two women.  He got up and absently walked to the edge of the table where the weapon's were and put his hand on the table.  But his eye's never left the two uncurious women, mostly his eye's where on Varrie Just as Xellos's eyes were on Lina.

Jarnios caught the movement of Darick's eyes and followed the Umbra's gaze which rested on the Girl from flame.  _"No!" _ He thought as he saw where Darick was looking.  "No!," In his out burst he stood up."She's mine I claimed her!"

At first Xellos had been worried but as soon as he followed the gaze's of both men he understood.  That idiot Jarnios thought he had claimed the girl and thought that Darick was trying to take away his prize.  The situation was funny and he would have laughed  had he not known the seriousness of it all.  He picked up his staff which was sometimes used as his own personal staff of enlightenment.

As he saw Xellos pick up his staff to hit Jarnios over the head, Darick looked at him and silently told him not to.  With a lightening fast movement he sized his whip off the table and cracked the whip onto Jarnios' left shoulder so hard that it forced him to sit down again.  "Tell me what weapon you used!"

"I, I  used the dagger."  He stated in an angry daze.  He was angry but couldn't do any thing to Darick as long as he had his whip.  He was furious as he eyed Darick with contempt, before admiring the beauty of his 'prize'.

 "You what!?!"  Amethyst eyes shot open and blazed.  Xellos's staff landed on Jarnios' head with a dull, but loud thud.  "You idiot that dagger is cursed."  


	6. The dagger's tale

I don't own the slayers.  I do own, well you know who they are.  Please review!

The story of the Cursed Dagger

When Jarnios looked at him with dumbfounded eyes Xellos started to explain.  "The story that tells the curse is a long one but I have no choice but to tell it."  He sighed.  "The dagger was made only a hundred years after the Kouma war.  It was made by a smith for his daughter,  at that time the only enchantment on the dagger was that it would always be as sharp as when it was first sharpened.  As time went on the daughter married and had her own daughter.  The woman and her daughter went out one day to go to the town fair.  On their way there she was met by an old sorcerer.

"The Sorcerer had wanted the woman's father to make him a horrible weapon, but the girl had refused to help him persuaded her father.  The sorcerer saw the woman's daughter and was enraged.  He had always loved the woman and the fact that she was now married and had her own child was to much for him.  

"With wild eye's he leapt at the woman and her daughter.  But the woman was ready for the attach and she had the dagger her father had made for her out.  The sorcerer grabbed the dagger from her with his bare hands and as his blood ran down the blade he chanted his own spell.  He took the dagger in his other hand and even as he completed his spell he stabbed her with her own dagger.

"The dagger sank deep into her stomach as the sorcerer whispered in her ear 'I'll come for you in four day's my love.'  The little girl was shocked but had had some training in the fighting arts and tried to get the sorcerer but he just laughed and cast a **Ray Wing** and flew away.  The little girl knew some magic but couldn't get the sorcerer and help her mother at the same time so she flew her mother into the village where they both had many friends.  One of the healer's took them in to heal the woman.

"What the daughter didn't know was that her mother had heard the spell, and was making her own spell to counter it.  While her daughter took her to the village in with a **Ray Wing** she had hastily scribbled the counter spell on the hilt of the dagger.  She had just finished when she fell deeply asleep."  Here Xellos paused and indicated both Lina and Varrie.  "Like those two."  Then he quickly went on to finish the story.

"The healer healed the wound in her stomach and tried to wake her up with **Wakening** but nothing worked.  The woman's husband had arrived a day latter worried about his wife and daughter.  When he got the village an old friend told him where to go, and upon entering the healer's hut he was told the story by his daughter.  They looked at the dagger's handle and saw the counter spell but none could make out the last few words to save the woman.

"The little girl had heard the sorcerer's whispered words about coming in four day's and told every one.  They all agreed to wait for the sorcerer and make him undo his spell.  As they waited the woman slept on, but on the second night she woke up.  They hoped that she was cured, but that was not the case.  When asked what she had on her dagger she answered that she couldn't remember, and then told them that she had heard the sorcerer's spell. 

 "It was a curse that any one injured but the dagger would forget every thing and become completely moldable to the injurers desire.  That person would own them mind body and soul, and they would never know any differently. Upon hearing this Jarnios smiled and looked proudly at his soon to be slave.  That earned him another punch in the face and evil hate filled glares from both Xellos and Darick.  Then he realized he had made a grave error and went pale.  "She told them that she was all ready starting to forget her more resent memories.  She told her family she loved them and to always remember that, even if the cures made her forget them.  She also told her daughter that no mater what she was in her heart, she was her heart's blood.  She made her daughter promise her that she would always remember that and that she would take her dagger and keep it safe.

"On her third day she could only remember being married to her husband, her father, and her training in the fighting arts and some magic.  Quickly the woman's memories faded away and by the fourth day the woman kept asking everyone who she was, they all told her but she would not listen to them.  She spent her forth day in front of her window waiting for some one with the right answers to come.  

"Latter on the forth day just like he had said to the woman he came.   He came in the evening at twilight, he cast a sleep spell on half the town.  He called to his beloved,  and upon hearing his call she came to him.  When they heard him call the husband tried to hold his wife down but she was agile and got away.  She ran down to the sorcerer when he called her.  The other's followed her and met the sorcerer.

"When they got there the woman was wrapped in the sorcerer's arms asking him who she was.  When the man saw this he demanded what the sorcerer had done to his wife.  The sorcerer just laughed at them.  He told them that she was his wife now.  That's when the arrow hit her, the woman had told her friends that if they loved her.  and there was no way to cure her, that rather then let her be controlled by the sorcerer they should shot them both in the hearts.

"But that's not where the story ends.  The daughter who had been taught by her mother and father from and early age both magic and the fighting arts grew up.  She vowed to help stop the evil of the world or so what happened to her mother would never happen to any one again.  After a time she met other's like her self, with strong fighting or magic skills who hated evil.  They came together and formed the Flame clan.  In the clan where now six people, three male and three female.  They married and had children and taught their children to fight and use magic and to stop horror and evil.  The woman never stop trying to understand what her mother had written on the dagger.

"One day she made sense of the inscription, she had cut her self earlier and dripped a little on the dagger.  When she cleaned it off the words became clear.  Her mother had sealed her cure in blood unknowingly so only a member of her direct descendants could read it and only after there was some of their blood on it.  The inscription read: 

'**Blood of my blood, blood of my heart, **

**One of my clan, **

**Uncorrupted by hate,**

**By your pure heart this cures with break**

**Trust the light,**

** The flame of light,**

**A single tear of one who truly remembers me, **

**And a true wish made from the heart, **

**Will restore my light and life!'**

 "It was to late to save her mother but she could not try as she might destroy the dagger, so she made it so any one of the six founders of  the Flame clan or their decedents, all of whom where like her own hearts blood could undo the curse.  After that she used an ancient spell to dig a deep hole in the earth and placed the dagger there with a warning that it was a dangerous weapon with horrifying effects.  Then sealed the tunnel with an explosion spell.  

"Years latter after she was dead and all of the records of the dagger lost it was found by bandits while they dug out their hide out.  And they've been using it to bully the sorcerer's guild or at least were until you stole it Jarnios."  Concluded Xellos.


End file.
